Hi there!

I hope your summer is off to a great start! Things have been a little wild around here because we somehow decided to jam GCSE exams, moving to a new rental house, and heading to America for a family trip all into a very small window.

My daughter is finishing GCSEs this year, which is a whole thing that deserves it's own detailed explainer. The TLDR version is:

Imagine high school sophomores taking 20+ standardized essay-format tests over about a month. Now imagine those tests are the only formal grades they receive for their past 5 years of schooling.

This has been one of the few UK experiences that makes me miss US schooling.

At any rate, my kid has really been through it so it's the perfect time to move house and set off on international travel.

All this to say that I'm sorry I've not been writing as frequently. I'll have lots to share soon!

Updates

I've recently moved this newsletter to a new email host, which required consolidating contact lists. I did a careful review to ensure I'm only emailing people that want to hear from me, but if this newsletter isn't something you want to receive please don't hesitate to hit the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email.

I'm a real human and not interested in spamming anyone.

Going forward, you can expect to hear from me about once a week. As always, if you're considering a UK move or planning a trip, hit reply and let me know what information would help you most.

Quick Travel Tip

We have had an English special of cool, drizzly weather this week, but not long ago we were in a heat wave. You might roll your eyes at that, but trust this Texas-raised girl when I say this country is not prepared for hot weather.

If you have a trip coming up soon, I recommend checking that your hotel has air conditioning. Many older hotels do not and the last thing you want is to arrive in a surprise heat wave and find you have no place to cool down.

Travel Find of the Week

We all know Highland cows are incredibly cute, but would you ever consider a cow cuddling excursion?

The folks at Dumble Farms offer a range of cow-friendly experiences, but the cow cuddling really caught my eye. This experience lasts 3.5-4 hours and includes a chance to meet and groom the farm's young Highland cows before introducing you to the farm's dedicated cuddle cows. From there, things go as you'd expect (if this was something you'd ever expect).

I don't know about you, but I think I could solve a good part of my daily stress by taking part in this.

That's all for now, but I'll see you next week!

Victoria

Tools I Use to Explore the UK